The Yellow Tigers start their Volleyball Nations League campaign this week in Nanjing, China. Belgium will face Poland, Czechia, Thailand and Serbia in a demanding opening week. Head coach Kris Vansnick begins the tournament with realism, but also with plenty of motivation and confidence in the group.

The build up to the VNL has been marked by several physical setbacks. Nikita De Paepe and Helena Gilson are both sidelined with serious knee injuries, while Silke Van Avermaet will also miss this VNL due to knee issues. A few smaller injuries are also affecting the squad. Tea Radovic will be replaced this week by Saar Bertels, while youngster Flore Maes is still working her way back from an abdominal injury suffered during the season.

“The start of the summer comes with a number of physical setbacks,” says Kris Vansnick. “With Nikita De Paepe and Helena Gilson, we miss two players who could certainly have strengthened our selection physically. We will also miss Silke Van Avermaet during this VNL because of knee issues. We also hope to see Flore Maes in action later during this VNL, with an eye on the further development of the squad.”

Despite those absences, the core of the team remains strong. Twelve of the fourteen players who competed at last summer’s World Championship are part of the squad for the start of this VNL. Captain Britt Herbots also showed in the final preparation match against Sweden that she is ready for the international campaign.

The Tigers completed three intense weeks of preparation. The team quickly picked up where it left off after last summer’s World Championship and worked hard physically to be ready for the demanding VNL rhythm, with four matches in five days. The three preparation matches against Sweden, led by world class opposite Isabelle Haak, provided valuable insights.

“It was an intense three week preparation in which the team reconnected with what we built last summer,” Vansnick continues. “We worked hard physically, because the VNL is extremely demanding. The matches against Sweden gave us the necessary insights and allowed us to sharpen our automatisms again. At the same time, they also showed that there is still room for improvement to get back to our World Championship level.”

The main goal for the Yellow Tigers is clear: secure their place in the VNL. Last summer, Belgium reached that goal thanks to four victories against Thailand, Canada, Czechia and Korea. The team also wants to maintain its current position in the world ranking and keep the gap with the top 10 as small as possible. With the European Championship coming up at the end of the summer, the VNL is also an important step in the further development of the group.

“Our primary goal is to secure our place in the VNL,” Vansnick confirms. “That remains a big challenge for the Tigers. We also want to maintain our current position in the world ranking and keep the gap with the top 10 as small as possible. Our third objective is to get the team fully ready again for the European Championship at the end of the summer. By then, our well known Tiger DNA has to come through at its best.”

Belgium opens its campaign against Poland, the team the Yellow Tigers defeated at last summer’s World Championship. Poland will start the VNL without Magdalena Stysiak and Malwina Smarzek, while Agnieszka Korneluk has stepped away from the national team. Still, Poland remains a very physical side, with fast middle blockers and powerful outside hitters.
After a rest day, the Tigers will face Czechia, an important match in the fight to secure their VNL status. Thailand follows next, bringing a completely different and fast Asian playing style. Belgium will close the opening week against Serbia, who are without Tijana Bošković but still have a physically strong young generation.

“It will be a tough first week, with two very physical teams and two important matches in terms of securing our place in the VNL,” Vansnick concludes. “We start this VNL with realism, but also with a lot of desire to show our well known Tiger DNA and the complementarity this team built last summer.”

Yellow Tigers schedule, VNL week 1
Wednesday 3 June 2026 at 5:30: Belgium against Poland
Friday 5 June 2026 at 9:00: Belgium against Czechia
Saturday 6 June 2026 at 9:00: Belgium against Thailand
Sunday 7 June 2026 at 9:00: Belgium against Serbia

Yellow Tigers squad
Setters: Charlotte Krenicky, Elise Van Sas, Lara Nagels
Opposites: Pauline Martin, Liese Verhelst
Middle blockers: Nathalie Lemmens, Anna Koulberg, Britt Fransen
Outside hitters: Britt Herbots, Nel Demeyer, Janne Deleu, Saar Bertels
Liberos: Britt Rampelberg, Noor Debouck